Kanda’s police custody extended by three days

New Delhi :  A Delhi court Saturday extended by three days the police custody of Haryana’s former minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, accused of abetting the suicide of his employee and former flight attendant Geetika Sharma.

Metropolitan Magistrate Devender Kumar Jangala sent Kanda to three days’ police custody for questioning. The former minister was arrested Aug 18.

Police sought an extension of Kanda’s custody to recover his three mobile phones through which he called and sent text messages to Geetika. They also want to seize the official phone that the victim returned after she quit Kanda’s group.

The investigators said that Kanda’s remand was needed to seize all the four phones to get details of calls and text messages, recover a computer hard disk, get information on Kanda’s visit to Dubai and details of some employees working in the former minister’s companies.

Police told the court that a probe into Kanda’s Dubai visit was also required as at that time Geetika was working there in another airlines.

The court found adequate grounds for extending Kanda’s police remand after going through and material brought on record by police.

“The recovery of material mentioned by investigating officer is necessary for the purpose of investigation,” the court said.

The court added that the recovery of mobile phones and the hard disk, allegedly removed from the computer of the accused, was crucial.

Police said that financial transactions of Kanda’s educational society, where Geetika was working, were also needed to be investigated.

The initial payment made to create the society was released from the account of Geetika, police said.

Kanda’s counsel Ramesh Gupta and Somesh Arora opposed the police plea for an extension of his custody for questioning.

The court directed the investigating officer of the case to mention in the case diary officers who were interrogating Kanda, after defence counsel raised an objection on the quizzing of Kanda by different officials.

Geetika, 23, who earlier worked in Kanda’s now-defunct MDLR Airlines, died on the night of Aug 4-5 at her house in Delhi’s Ashok Vihar area.

Her two suicide notes named Kanda and his employee Aruna Chaddha for harassing her and driving her to suicide. Both have denied the allegations. Chaddha is in judicial custody.

After Kanda’s airlines ceased to function in 2009, Geetika was given another assignment in the group owned by him.

Kanda, who was forced to resign as minister of state for home and urban local bodies in Haryana in the face of public outcry over Geetika’s suicide, was booked for abetment to suicide by Delhi Police.